The Smart Grinder can be bought for $200.
More than I thought I’d be spending on a grinder, but given I want to interchange between French Press, Espresso & AeroPress, it makes sense to invest in a machine like this.
Online reviews on it are very good also.

I think a good quality auto machine is a better option than a full blown manual machine in the hands of joe average. There’s real skill in operating a serious espresso machine that even many pros never truly perfect, let alone a semi interested amateur.

I love it and if you find a bean you like and get the grinding adjustment right (and it is not hard) then it makes a good consistent brew. The new models fix one problem in mine and that is water temp, as I like coffee hot and my model was not quite hot enough. I get around that by filling the tank with water from our instant water heater the rest use for tea. I saw this model at Harvey Norman and they made me a brew with their own branded beans and it was hot, strong and good flavoured. Cleaning is not that tedious, and even using the steam to make cappuccino is ok.

At work tonight and my boss has bought a Lelit Giulietta so we can wheel it around and make coffees at special functions etc. Problem is that the dude responsible for all this (that’s supposed to train us) can’t get it to work.

So I get asked to sort it out despite the fact that I have never operated a coffee machine and am a heathen who quite happily drinks instant. Half an hour later I walk back in cappucino in hand (yeah I know, had to make sure the steamy thingo worked). Not bad, I hope they get some decent beans.

Looks like an Aeropress, costs $5 more than what i paid for an Aeropress.

I have a De Longhi Magnifica too, but I’ve stopped using it in PF, partly because you have to use tank water (town water here is horrible), but mainly because my entire social interaction is at one of the coffee shops here.

This is a reasonably accurate statement, but having been in the business of selling these things, I always tried to steer customers towards any kind of filter/immersion brewing instead of espresso. Espresso is difficult to do well and far more wasteful and therefore expensive.